The Role of AI in Enhancing Creativity among University Art students

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing creativity among university art students, focusing on the AI tools they integrate into their creative workflows, how they use these tools, and the influence and challenges they pose to the artmaking process. Design/Methodology/Approach: This qualitative study employs a case study design with 14 visual communication students from a public university, purposively selected. Data were collected through interviews and analysed thematically. Research Limitation: The study is limited to a small sample from one public university and does not include quantitative measures of creativity or broader generalisation. Findings: The fourteen student participants use a wide range of AI tools in their art-making, with each typically relying on at least three. Tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, WhatsApp AI, Meta AI, Gemini, Claude AI, DeepSeek, Chroma AI, Notion AI, Qwen AI, DALL·E, DALL·E 2, Midjourney, ImageFX, DeepDream, Canva AI, Microsoft Bing Image Creator, QuillBot, and Grammarly are used by participants in creating art. AI supports the students across all stages of art-making, including ideation, image creation, design refinement, mock-ups, and text editing. It streamlines technical tasks, enhances conceptual clarity, expands creative possibilities, and improves efficiency by enabling early visualisation of ideas. However, it also shifts creative agency, risks overreliance on AI-generated outputs, and raises concerns about authorship and originality. Additionally, challenges such as cultural inaccuracies, difficulty interpreting prompts, low-quality outputs, and limited contextual depth reduce its reliability, particularly in culturally specific and image-based projects. Practical Implication: The findings highlight the need for art education to integrate AI literacy while maintaining strong traditional creative skills and critical engagement with AI tools. Social Implication: Effective integration of AI in art education can foster innovation while ensuring ethical awareness and cultural sensitivity in creative practices. Originality/Value: This study contributes to emerging scholarship on AI in art education by providing empirical insights into how AI shapes students’ creative processes, highlighting both its opportunities and limitations.